


Sai no Go: The Ghost Child

by Rbook



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 21:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rbook/pseuds/Rbook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sai Fujiwara was in desperate need of money, luckily he meets a ghost trapped in a goban that can help him. All  Shindou no Hikaru wants to do is play the Hand of God then rest in peace and Sai doesn't have the heart to tell him he can't. Following the boy's instructions the world of Go is about to change by a fresh out college long haired teacher who is too kind for his own good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The child Ghost! Enter Hikaru!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first Hikaru no go fanfic so I hope all of you like it! My story was inspired by a picture on deviant art, by the talented demitasse-lover, called Sai no Go! Now I don't much about Go, actually next to nothing about Go but I'll try my best at this story! Now I have no idea if I'll finish it due to my lack of knowledge on the game but if anyone who knows the game call message me and help me out I believe I might so PM me if you can help!
> 
> Anyway here's chapter 1 hope you like!

Chapter 1

Sai Fujiwara knew that most would scoff at what he was currently doing, but he was desperate enough to not care. The due date of his rent was looming awful close and he already missed it twice the last two months leading to his landlord dropping hints of relocating him if he let it happen a third time. He had tried to find a second job but none started after three that didn't happened to be a fast food restaurant, which he had tried to applied to but been turned down for high school teenagers.

Sai is a twenty-five year old fresh out of college teacher, with student loans, bills and low paying job that was slowly draining the fun out of his life. The need for food had him searching the local dump in hopes of finding something to sell for a little pocket money. Hey a man had to eat, and he had just passed the last few years eating almost nothing but an instant ramen based diet and if a broken hard to find doll was going to get him some then so be it!

He had pulled his long dark black hair into a low ponytail at the bottom of his neck using his most prized possession, a white ribbon given to him by his mother. The same one his father had given her on their first White day date, as a promise to love her forever. The one thing he had of both his parents love. Dress in old clothes (a faded long sleeve shirt, and baggy running pants that his old dorm roommate gave him) he spent his first weekend as a teacher digging through garbage. This was not the first time he had spent weekends at the dump so he knew how to dress for such outings.

Sai had fair skin like his mother, some saying he could be a ghost if it wasn't for the warmth in his face most noticeable in his eyes. He wasn't made for being outside in heat too long; perhaps it was because of all the hours spent indoors by his mother's hospital bed in his childhood. Kushina Fujiwara had been diagnosed with a brain tumor when Sai had turned ten, with a dead father before he was born and no grandparents to speak of, the duty to find a way to pay for her treatment fell on the shoulders of her ten year son.

Sai had dedicated most of his youth looking for a job that could help get the medication Kushina needed much to her pain. She had more often than not, made a point to talk about him playing at the park with friends instead of going door to door selling candy.

"I don't want you missing out on life because of me, Sai. Please don't worry so much. There are foundations that will help us with the money. Spent time with your friends tomorrow okay?" She would say almost every night before he was to return the orphanage when visiting hours were over. He had hated the guilty look on her face and in her voice when she did, making him lie about having friends.

Young children can be cruel. He had know that saying to be true from experience, especially to a boy with long hair who refused to cut or refusing to play after school claiming he need to find work. It didn't help that he was unbelievably shy with a passion of learning, and always wearing hand-me downs from the older orphanages that were usually out of style. Street rat had been the kindness nickname his old classmates gave him at the time.

He didn't care really, he had his mother.

He still remembered the day he had beat down some bullies who had jumped him on his way to the hospital, because they were going to cut his precious hair with strength he hadn't known he possessed. The eleven year old had made a promise to himself, to never cut his hair when his mother refused to wear a wig, even if it would to be made by his own hair. She claimed she love the way it looked on him and would always want to see it on him, so he vowed to never cut it again. There had been three bullies and the three bullies had companied him to the hospital to get their wounds bandaged with fear in their eyes whenever they looked his way.

His face had been bleeding, his nose nearly broken, two black eyes but his hair had still had its shoulder length and the brightest smile he ever had on his face as he told his surprised mother that he was no longer shy because he learned something that day.

That was the day he knew he could do anything if he had enough determination, heart and work hard enough to pull it off.

"That's my boy! He can withstand anything with a smile!" Kushina had joked between gasps of laughter as Sai retold the way the bullies cried as he brought down justice on them. She always did have a strange sense of humor.

Her words become his motto even as he stood in front of her grave four years later, with tears rolling down his checks a bittersweet smile pulling at his face, as he whispered to the late afternoon air " I am my mom's boy. I can withstand anything with a smile. I am my mom's boy. I can withstand anything with a smile. I am my mom's son. I can withstand anything with a smile"

He had been a fifteen year old who had no idea what to do with himself after losing the only thing that gave him purpose, his life had been school, any means of money making and visiting mom everyday without fail. Sai had promised his mother that he would go to college and have the education she never had but he had never told her what he would study since he had never gave it much thought then, (too busy trying to find a way to pay for her hospital room and keep up with current school) to know what to say.

Sai had moved through life as if in auto pilot for a year following his mother's death, always crying with a smile and skipped so much school, most of the other student's believed he transpired to a different school all together. Then he had made a spur of the moment choice to enter the hospital that his mother used to live in when he had walked past it on his way to buy some food.

The hospital staff was shocked to see him back and when asked what he was doing there, the sixteen year old had merely shrugged saying in a flat lifeless voice not really thinking. "I don't know. What do you need me to do?"

They believed he had arrived to volunteer in memory of his mother. Sai had known almost all the nurses by name and they knew him in turn , so they assumed he had somehow managed to keep his kind heart even after the lost he suffered. They gave him work right away.

Help one of the new patients with her math homework, be gentle she just found out about her cancer last week and she's trying to keep things as normal as possible. He had merely nodded mutely not really hearing the words of Sakuno as she showed him the room number. 301. His mother's old room.

Sai wanted nothing more than to run away that moment as tears rushed to his eyes but the brown haired nurse had already pushed open the door and a young ten year old girl with red puffy eyes stared back at him. He had recognized that look of hopeless misery instantly; He had seen it in his mother's kind black eyes (he looked just like her and he knew if he had been born a girl then he would be miniature version of Kushina) and every time he looked in a mirror after she told him about selling the house and moving to the orphanage because she couldn't leave the hospital to take care of him anymore.

Sai could not leave this child with that haunted look, so he put on his softest smile making sure not to have pity or polite distance but made it filled with brotherly love. The girl had sniffed but smiled back ,a bit watery, but a smile none the less. He spent the rest of the afternoon with her and her parents, doing his best to teach the young Yuki Yume , his first ever student, fractions.

Yuki had actually cheered when she got an answer right and grinned at him with a joyful "Thank you Fujiwara-sensei!"

The sunset light had hit her from behind when Yuki said that and Sai would swear to the day he died that he could see his mom in her smile, telling him to enjoy life. That Kushina wanted him to have fun.

That day Sai Fujiwara knew he wanted to make a difference in a child by becoming a teacher.

Even in death his mother still managed to direct him and help him find his way. He would be make it happened! He would be the greatest teacher to ever live! Someone his students could connect to without fear of being mock or being shy about it.

He worked day and night doing everything he could to graduate at the top of his class, finding jobs to pay the bills of his new apartment and to have a college fund of course. He spent hours looking for scholarships and taking bank loans to pay for the things he couldn't afford to waste meal money on. Sai also created a habit of going to the hospital whenever he had a chance to take a break of his college life to teach the children there, gaining more and more desire to teach each day.

He even made some lifelong friends out of it enjoying what he loved too.

Which brought him to his current money problem; Yuki needed a surgery to remove her right leg. The girl had been one of his little fans, claiming that when she beat the cancer she would go to the school he would be teaching at. Over the nine years after their meeting, the two become close as she even claimed that he helped her survive the hardest part of her treatment, her parents agreed since he knew all the programs to help with the money and emotional support.

Except her father tended to glare at him whenever he got too close to the girl, since Yuki developed feelings for him throughout the tutoring sections. Other than that he felt as if though he was a cousin visiting whenever he saw them and was one of the biggest reasons why he cleared his bank account then made a anonymous donation to her support fund as soon as he learned her parents couldn't afforded it.

So what if he was looking through garbage to find something to pawn off? Yuki would live to go to college and would still be able to walk because the donation had come with a metal leg in her size.

He was close to being homeless, but he was happy with his choice after seeing the small three people family hugging and crying in joy. Yuki had turned to him, with a look in her eyes that told him she knew nothing about him being the detonator and he was glad for it. Sai didn't want to give the girl guilt for being the reason he was running to all the schools in the area hoping to get hired before his landlord reach the end of her patience.

The girl's parents however knew. How? He didn't know but while Yuki had been busy getting prep for surgery with her mother, Yuki's father had gone over to him, looked Sai straight in the eye then said "I want her to be happy, with a man who will fulfill her expectations of the prince charming personas she reads about. A man, who can take care of her and make her feel as precious as she is. Sai thank you for what you did. You may not be her prince, because I know you do not feel the same for her as she does you, but you are the best older brother Yuki could ever ask for and I would be damn proud to call you my son."

Honō Yume then hugged the surprised long haired man as his wife, Furea Yume, joined in after coming back to tell Hono that Yuki would be undergoing the surgery soon and needed her dad at her side. The brown hair woman's hazel eyes had tears in them as she whispered to the young teacher "You're so kind Sai. May, God repay you for your selfless act."

He had refused to take any of their money, that family had three mouths to feed while he only had one. Sai knew he could mange on his own, he always had before and he could now.

With sweat dripping from his forehead, he climbed another small hill of garbage, hoping to find something of value that could be sold quickly. The midday sunlight beat down on his back as he pushed away another empty box with disappointment. His dark black eyes scanned the piles of trash once he reached to top of the one he was currently climbing as he pulled his gloves tighter over his hands making sure to find something he could disinfect.

It had been two months since Furea had told him those words but in that moment he felt as if she was whispering them again in his shoulder, when he felt his heart sinking after the teacher realized he would probably not find anything today and needed to go home to grade the "what I did this summer" essays before Monday rolled around again.

"May, God repay you for your selfless act"

Letting out a sigh, the long haired man knew it was time to give up for the day and go back home. It seemed he wouldn't be paying for his electricity again as he would be using that money to buy some groceries. He had really wanted to have it back too, after a month a man misses his TV time. Too bad he would have to wait until the school year reach a month before he would get paid.

"I am my mom's son. I can withstand anything with a smile." Sai thought as he made his way back down, knowing he shouldn't think negatively.

" It's going to be okay. You'll get through this. Don't worry Fujiwara, everything is going to be okay." The teacher said to him-self as he slapped his checks, then literally tried to shack the bad thoughts out of his head. "You hit rock bottom but that just means the only way is up!" He cried as he climbed down letting himself throw a fist in the air out of a childish habit he developed.

In that moment Sai felt his feet slip and rolled the rest of the way down, letting out a started cry. The trash fell with him, creating a chain of reactions to the rest of the small hills around him throwing the neatly organized junk into the air. When the world finally came to a stop Sai, found himself upside down with his right foot stuck in an old box above him on the side of a hole created by the small earthquake.

"owwie" The long hair teacher said trying to get up but his foot wouldn't come down. He was happy to note he hadn't hurt himself too bad besides a dull pain in his chest as it had landed first but would need to clean the small wound on his chin. "A perfect way to end garbage day" He mumbled sarcastically.

He yanking his foot free, Sai sat up with a low sigh. Things couldn't possible get worse.

The box that held his foot captive, decided it would make them worse by losing its balance, falling straight down on, ironically , his right foot.

Eyes wide, the man throw his head back a cursed….well in a Sai way he did. "Ow! Son of a monkey! That hurt so fudge'n much! What the fudge, world!? What the fudge!? Why are you against me!?"

By that time it accorded to him to move the heavy object off his foot. With a hateful glare, he pushed it off his injured limb, hoping it would find a way to break as it fell to the side for it was too heavy to chuck across the garbage lot like he felt, should be its fate.

The box's lead fell open as it lands and a goban soon followed. Sai's breathe hitches as he studies the wooden legs of the goban, since it is the only side that can be visible as the board fell flat on the playing side.

A little dirty but that is high quality wood! He could roughly tell the price of artifacts after years of dump rioting.

This could be his chance at some food and TV month!

With new found hope, the black haired man completely forgot his hurt foot and chin as he nearly tripped over himself to check the condition of goban, if he was lucky it could be fixed easily and sold at a fair price quickly. Things were looking up!

Turning the board upright, his smile fell a lot faster than it should have. Well the board itself was in a pretty well condition, almost looking beautiful going well with the fine black lines of that formed the game, it was ruined in the top right corner that told him exactly why someone had thrown away such a great treasure.

"Maybe I can clean the blood stains off…." He mumbled as he studied the stains with a frown. He knew he would most likely leave the board because who in their right mind might take a game board covered in blood from the local dump, but it made him feel better to give him some hope it can be fix. That his life could be fix just like that.

"You can see the stains?!" a childish voice suddenly asked making Sai jump. Looking around terrified Sai yelled out "Who's there?"

"Can you hear my voice?!" The child asked again this time its voice full of glee and hope.

"What are you doing here child? I don't have any money if that's what you want!" Sai yelled again eyes looking this way and that as he tried to find the child who called out "Show yourself!"

"You can hear me! This means I can return! Thank you God for this wonderful opportunity!" Sai watched with wide eyes as the board started to glow and what seems to be light green club lights start coming out of the board, his hearting beating too hard to be healthy, as a body began to form above the board drawing his attention. "After years of waiting, I may finally return to the world of the living!"

Gasping the young man raised to his feet, just as a boy came into view. He seemed young no older than most of his students, probably around twelve, who looked far too happy as he lifted a large rob off his head, or more accurate off his large hat. The boy was wearing strange clothing, dress as if he lived in the Heian era and belongs to a noble family to boot if what he knew of Heian was correct; the young boy stared back at him before his face split into a wide grin.

The young boy had black hair that ended just at the end of his neck yet seemed to posses white color bangs that framed his face ending just passed his chin. The boy spoke "it is an honor to make be in your presence, my name is Hikaru Shindou and I adore Go! oh, and I have been dead for the last thousand years."

With that Sai's world turn black as he fainted, not missing the panicked look of Shindou.

He wouldn't know it yet but this boy would change his life for the better.


	2. Tears of past.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikaru explains things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed my last chapter. 
> 
> Though I do want to know if someone with some knowledge on Go can send me a crash course on it? Also was Sai in character?
> 
> It would be really helpful if someone answers my questions.
> 
> The other thing is I COMPLETELY MADE UP THE LIFE IN THE ERA OF HIKARU, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEOPLE LIVED BACK THEN DID FOR FUN OR THE EXPECTETIONS!
> 
> Anyway I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 2

"Please turn to page four, and underline what you believe is the main tone of the writing. " Sai told his class Monday morning, trying his hardest not to chuckle at the young ghost who ran to and fro around the classroom with wide eyes in excitement. The child phantom peered at the class work over all of the students shoulders in curiosity for a few seconds before finding something else that took his attention, making him dash to that side of the room to investigate.

It had been a strange first two days after finding the haunted Go board, especially with a child who was amazed at any modern day technology. With a final grin at the boy who was watching the class pet turtle swim in the back of the room, Sai brought back his attention to today's reading with a fond smile as he thought of how he meet Hikaru.

~~~~~~~~FLASH BACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sai had fainted and stayed in a unconscious sort of state for a hour or two, all the while Hikaru had ran around crying and yelling at the top of his non-existing lungs for help. Ironically Hikaru's screams had been what woke him after being affected by the emotions spilling out of control of the young child who had come to the conclusion that he had "murder" the kind man who set him free.

The boy's fear had been as strong as his voice had been loud. Very , very strong. And Sai had merely awoke due to the screams that hurt his over sensitive ears because Hikaru had kneeled next to him chocking on the word "sorry"." The teacher had meant to open his mouth to reassure the poor boy that he was alright, when he choked on the feeling of fear and panic. It had left him dizzy , his stomach twisted so many ways that it felt rather painful and a raising horrible taste grew in the back of his throat before he could understand what it meant, he felt him-self throw up.

By then Hikaru had noticed his "miracle" come back and had cheered with so much joy that it soon warmed Sai's heart and laughter left his chest before he could stop himself. The feeling was so strange and a complete 180 of what he had been feeling just a few seconds ago that Sai wondered briefly between gasps of laughs if that was what someone who was bipolar felt like each day. If so then Sai now applauded them for continuing to live in such a matter since he didn't believe he could.

It seems that the two were linked, as the ghost had explain when they both calmed down, where they would be able to talk to each other telepathically and share their emotions. Though because Hikaru didn't have a body, Sai would be affected double by the emotions they each felt. It would explain why his mood seemed to brighten whenever Hikaru laughed or darken whenever the boy thought of his past.

Hikaru had told Sai that he was a Go player, who had lived as a noble in the Heian era though being the fifth son he wasn't to inherit as much as his older brothers and was expected to marry a noble woman then join his eldest brother's samurai guards. While Go had been seen as a noble's pastime it was reserved to be persuade by the second oldest son who had no talent in it like Hikaru did. The boy also had a too weak body to be able to lift the swords of the samurai and most practice spars had ended with him being beat down to near death. To make matters worse his father was not pleased with his progress in his training thus forbidden him from even going near a Go board until he could fight as expected of him.

While Hikaru struggled with his training his brother Ichigo , the second oldest, struggled with Go. Hikaru stated that his brother could not read ahead in the board, could not think of clever moves and most of all could not win. Ichigo always came close but the other noble men were never beatable for him, and he soon became a laughing stock of the nobles who challenged him to a game which of course did not please their father. As each day passed, the more games he lost, the more their father grew angrier and angrier, then one night all five of the sons were called to meet to come before him.

"If Ichigo cannot beat his challenger tomorrow then he will be cast out of the family estate and you will no longer call him brother." Their father had said when all of them were seated then he stood and left. Not a word was spoken as the five siblings stayed shocked in silenced, not moving as their father had not given them permission to leave but Hikaru confessed to glancing at Ichigo, who already had the tears and cold acceptance of being disowned upon his face.

Ichigo had help Hikaru many times with his sword handling, unlike the other cruel older brothers who mocked him for being denied his passion, his favorite sibling had made time to try and teach Hikaru to the best of his abilities. The idea of Ichigo being banished left a bitter taste in his mouth; so that night while everyone retired to their beds the boy had sneaked in his brother's room and woke him for a night of Go. The second son had red eyes and tears marks along his cheeks but he agreed to Hikaru's encouragement of practicing. That night Ichigo improved far more than any Go instructor their father had ever hired, could possible hope to help in with.

However it had only been a night, nothing compared to a life time of Go the challenger had. Ichigo had lost badly but that was to be expected when the challenger had been the emperor's Go instructor. The man had always hated the Shindou family, so it was quite the pleasure for him to humiliated the second oldest in front of such a large crowd, crushing Ichigo by a twenty moku. The game had been played in front of ten men in the best room of the Shindou family estate, Hikaru being one of them. Then the man went too far by openly mocking Hikaru's dearest brother with the already know fact of his disowned future due to their game. (Their father did not care to keep it a secret)

Outrage Hikaru had stood from his seat and demanded a game with the instructor. The man had laughed in his face and his father had glared at him a promise of pain deep in his eyes but Hikaru had not cared. The instructor had asked why Hikaru believed he could beat him when the boy was only twelve years old, who did not devote himself to the game like he did. The child had merely raised hi fan to his face and whispered loudly enough to be heard throughout the room.

"I may not know how well I play against those of your level of skill, but I know the limits of mine. I am strong."

The instructor's face had clouded "You dare mock me child? Stating you are strong but not knowing by how much, then claiming you can defeat me is the greasiest insult!"

Hikaru had not answered instead he kneeled in front of the Go board. He had glanced at Ichigo before making up his mind "An insult? Then prepares you would allow me to show you the greasiest respect by playing a worthy game with me. However this game will be one where I will play with all my might, and if I were to be victorious then you will agree to tutor my dear brother Ichigo in Go. As Shindou Ichigo."

The man's eyes flashed dangerously but his half of his face hidden behind his own fan made it hard to tell his expression. Then he quietly kneeled as well before asking. "Most interesting indeed however if I were victorious then what could you agree to child? It would be very kind of me to still tutor your dear brother however it would disturb my time with His Majesty, you see? "

Hikaru had not hesitated "Your kindness would not need to be disturbed by my dearest brother, for I will teach him myself outside the Shindou household."

The whole room had gasped, for even if it was hidden in a polite tone, what Hikaru had said left the room in a tense silence. This was never heard of and many would speak of this day for many years to come. For this day the fifth son of the Shindou household challenged the greatest Go player of the country to a game of Go, with a bet that if the child were to win his brother wound not be banished but train by the named Go player however if the boy were to lose then he would join the brother in banishment.

The instructor had agreed to the game and both played for color. The rest was a blur to Hikaru who had never played such a level of game playing before, never had as much fun and for the first time had seen pride in his father's eyes as the court man bowed his head in defeat. Ichigo had been allowed to remain in the household to be train by Hikaru who now had a purpose and lived life in a bliss at being allowed to play every day. His older brother had spent his days rising in skill at alarming rates, while finally having time to peruse his real passion; Poetry and storytelling.

One night Ichigo had read him a poem about the Divine Move. A legendary move that could only be played in a game of evenly skilled rivals who knew each other's moves like on would know their own hand. Every Go players dream and Hikaru's new goal was the Divine Move. So he played each day with anyone who would be willing to play, and for once getting his father to see his worth.

Life for a year was peaceful and filled with happiness.

Then the royal Go instructor had returned, to bring the child prodigy to the royal court to be the other royal Go instructor as the emperor himself had asked for Hikaru's presences after he ordered the Go instructor to replay the game against a child once he heard the tail from another noble man. In two weeks, Hikaru was on his way to the castle, riding in the royal carriage with the fuming royal Go instructor.

The man was not happy that a child -of a family he hated no less- was going to receive such a high position in society while it had taken him years to get where he was in life. So he decided that the boy would never be able to take that position, ever. On the way to the castle they needed to pass by high cliffs over-looking a large lake, however quite suddenly the man had banged on the carriage door, to call for a halt. He told the men (who were guarding them on the journey) they would be taking an earlier rest then plan, for the horses seemed to be acting strange.

Tired from the trip the men rejoiced, and moved to eat their afternoon lunch while Hikaru was told to wait in the carriage by the man. The boy had not known court life, which was why it had been so easy for the man to lie to him about the proper eating habits of the court. Told that travelers never ate outside the carriage, the boy waited patiently inside reciting the Divine Move poem while the man went outside to discuss with the head guard about the future trip's dangers and bring back some food.

Hikaru had been a noble but was still a child and any child would have gotten curious to see what was outside of the carriage window in an unfamiliar place. Would the trees be different looking? Where they near high mountains? Was the lake sparkling in the sunlight like in Ichigo's stories? When he realized the man would be taking a while he moved from his little sit and pulled back just slightly the curtain on the small hole on the other side of the window, peeking out with child like wonder only to see the man cutting ever so slightly on the rims of the horses as the rest of the men were distracted eating or scouting the nearby area.

Shocked Hikaru was about to yell out and question the man, when the Go instructor raised his fan and slammed it down on the two horses scaring the poor animals. Letting out a cry of horror, Hikaru was launched to the side of the carriage as the horses raced forward into a run, heading straight for the cliff. Cries of shock were heard by all the men as they scrambled to reach their own horses and ride after the runaway carriage.

But it was too late. The horses pulled to the side at the last minute just as they reached the edge, but what they pulled did not slow down in time and launched forward, the rims connecting to the carriage ripping in the progress leaving the animals safe upon the cliff. Hikaru screamed as the carriage slammed into the ice cold water, which was quickly sinking. The men too stopped at the cliff, watching in horror as the carriage and it's passenger disappeared into the lake far, far below.

Hikaru had never learned to swim as a noble, so his heavy cloths dragged him down as he kicked and screamed. The last thing he ever felt had been water filling his lungs, while the world turn dark, the poor boy could only think one thing. Now, I'll never have the opportunity to tell bother Ichigo that I played the Divine Move. He will never be able to write a poem about it

~~~~~~~~x ~~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~

"I believe my age had been a personal insult to him, which is why I suspect he did, what he, did." Hikaru had told Sai as his eyes darken, when he told him about his death.

Sai had not known what to say, shocked that a man would be so jealous of a child that he robbed little Hikaru of a life that the child deserved. The teacher had watch the boy's emotionless eyes daze over throughout the tale, and he felt the deep depression of misguided emptiness as the boy talked, knowing full well this was what the boy felt every time that memory was brought up. The long haired man had never felt so numb before in his life, not even when mother died. He couldn't feel his body, couldn't think straight, he felt like a shell of what he once was. It had felt as if he were died instead of the ghost before him, while the child looked like he had never truly lived.

He hadn't. Sai thought as tears rushed to his eyes this poor child hadn't lived, he never got the chance to.

Then suddenly the emotion disappeared as quickly as it came, because the boy looked up at him to continue his story.

~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~

When Hikaru, felt some one calling out to him as he was pulled onto dry land, he believed one of the men had saved him. The last thing he remembered, had been seeing his own hands raised desperately in front of him, reaching for the water surface that had been light up been by sunlight.

He thought he was going to die.

Not bothering to wonder why he felt no pain, the boy had snapped his eyes open to see another boy around his age staring down at him in worry. The boy's hair and clothing had been dripping wet, telling the double colored hair child that he had been saved by this boy. Hikaru had let out a confused groan, and then whispered his only to be told to not talk and save his energy.

"I shall get you to our local doctor imminently!" the child promised swinging Hikaru's arm around his shoulder. Then turning down a path heading for a small house though Hikaru had not realized that he didn't need for the boy to help him walk as he could do so quite easily. Strange for one who should have been weak for near drowning but he was too busy trying to get over the fact that he wasn't died. He had lived!

OR so they thought.

When reaching the small building the boy had told him to lie down, and wait while he ran for help. The boy had tucked in the confused Shindou who finally realized the boy truly believed his life was in danger. Trying to calm down his savior Hikaru told him he felt no pain what so ever, in fact he felt perfectly fine. The boy had stated at him before moving so gently towards him as if he was trying to feed a small rabbit and did not want to scare it off.

"Y-you cannot feel pain? T-this is truly horrible, my deepest apologizes but I believe…I believe it is too late to save your legs….o-or you body. Forgive me for not saving you in time" The boy had said bowing so low his head touched the ground.

Shocked Hikaru stood from his lying position crying out in alarm "W-whatever do you mean?! Surly, I cannot have lost all control!"

It didn't accrue to him that he had moved when he said this, nor did he noticed he went through the futon covers to yell, he was too scared at the thought of never being able to play Go again to noticed. The boy however had noticed. His eyes had widen before he turn and ran outside to empty out his stomach, wondering why he suddenly felt so terrified. The rest of the day was spent trying to understand what had happened to young Hikaru, who spent most of it crying after finding out he was indeed dead.

That was the day Shindou Hikaru meet Kuwabara Torajiro a kind boy who after finding out Hikaru's story allowed him to play each and every game throughout his life. While the two soon become quite famous throughout the lands for their odd mix of old and modern playing style, Torajiro grew into a fine young man and Hikaru stayed the childish twelve year old who more often than not told Torajiro of that he reminded him of Ichigo. Before long Hikaru began to see Torajiro as a brother and called him as such.

The two become brothers in their love of Go, and earned the name Honinbo Shusaku, the greatest Go player of all time. Again life- well after-life anyway- was looking perfect for the young ghost, and he loved each day of it once more then something terrible happened. An illness sweep the village of Torajiro, killing left and right to the point no one wanted to care for infected. The kind hearted Torajiro had not been able to simply watch them die and had treated to as many as he could, before he too felt ill.

Hikaru had watched his all-but-blood older brother get sick, each night while the man sleep young, Hikaru cried over Torajiro's Go board for not being able to do something to help. He believed he spared the thirty-three year old man from finding out about his fears and silent crying uselessness but again one cannot hide anything from someone you were with every day, every hour, every minute for over twenty-one years.

"I can see the tears upon the Go-board Hikaru." The haunted man had said one day while staring at the board in pain. Wither it had been from the illness or from knowing a child cried each night because of him was unknown. As the days moved on, Hikaru realized that Torajiro was losing the battle against the sickness and would one day die.

Horrified Hikaru tried to convince Torajiro to stop playing, to stop wasting his energy on a game that Hikaru loved.; Tried to convince him to spend his time in fighting to stay alive. And for a while Torajiro did stop, not playing for nearly months, not even picking up a stone, until one night he demand a game against the boy.

"I cannot believe I did not see it before Hikaru, but I see you in my Go. I see my life in Go, I love Go. Please one game it is all I ask. One game." Torajiro had said, and Hikaru had not wanted to for he felt it in his very soul it would be the last game they ever play together. Still he complied to the game for Torajiro begged him to.

Hikaru was right, for half way into the game Honinbo Shusaku, Kuwabara Torajiro, his big brother had left the world after throwing up blood on the board . The blood stains Sai had seen.

Hikaru had cried horribly as he told Sai it was all his fault, if he had just let Torajiro live his life the way he wanted then he wouldn't had died. He would stayed home away from the village by the lake, never going back to play Go, against other men after a year of finding Hikaru. Torajiro would have never seen so many people suffering so he would never had tried to help them. He would have never disappeared.

He didn't even get to see Torajiro's funeral because he was trapped in the Go board, the last thing his all-but-blood brother touched in this world.

Sai stood helplessly as Hikaru cried harder and harder, feeling more agony then he ever felt as the emotions from both himself and Hikaru spiraled out of control after the tail.

Still after emptying out his stomach twice as the boy cried, Sai's fatherly instinct over took him and he completely forgot the fact that the crying child had admitted to being a ghost. He had simply raised his hands up with a sheepish smile trying his best to calm down the poor hiccuping twelve year old. When that didn't work, the teacher had reached out and pulled the boy into a hug to calm him down.

It had work to stop the tears but then the boy had started complaining about being crushed. It ended with yells of "vengeance that would make the earth shake with terror" as the boy proclaim proudly while he swung his fan around in a circle giving Sai a half glare, half pout that had the teacher biting his tongue from stating how cute the boy was. As a man around pre-teens for seven hours a day, Sai could tell the boy would not react kindly to being described as cute.

That moment Sai had promised himself that he would let this boy play the Divine Move, after all the things he went through, he dissevered it.


	3. Matchmaker!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is in the air...or hopeful it is!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you all liked my last chapter and liked the story behind Hikaru. I couldn't think of any other way for a brilliant bright child like him to be erased from the history books so I hoped you all agreed it would be best if he never become famous. I also think Hikaru has a tendency to blame himself for Sai disappearing so I thought he would naturally blame himself for the death of Torajiro.
> 
> Again if anyone could help me out with the game Go it would be really appreciated!
> 
> Here is chapter 3!

"I have places to be. Please let me through." = talking

" _Very well there are only four more papers to grade, and then we can go to a Go salon to play." = thinking/ talking to Hikaru_

"  **I will wait patiently till then. Oh but do, hurry! I cannot keep my excitement for long!" = Hikaru talking\**

_**You're really good! Are you a pro? = NetGo message.** _

Chapter 3

Akira Toya sat alone in the corner of his father's Go salon. Just a few minutes ago, he had played an arrogant boy around his age who had won the young meijin tournament and he had thought it was time to prove he was the best. Akira had hoped the boy could have been a challenge but he wasn't all that good, which lead to the young Toya defeating the arrogant boy rather quickly. The game wasn't that hard and he didn't even remember the child's name that had left not too gracefully mere minutes ago.

Rather the boy had slammed his hands by the board giving the young Toya a nasty glare as he stood before storming off without so much as an apology.

The boy's behavior might have stung if Akira wasn't already used to it. Children his age rarely played the game Go so making friends outside his obsession was difficult when all the other kids thought him weird for loving an "old man" game as much as he did, while the kids that  _did_  play Go hated him for his ability and skill. Most claimed it wasn't even his skill but rather his  _father's_ skill that beat them, (seeing as he was the son of the best player so it must have been the Go his father taught him that he had used), and a lot of them said it was unfair that he was trained since two to play.

They glared at him every time he went to a Go event with his father. Akira was a shy boy by nature so he rarely went near the glaring children, instead choose to stand quietly by his father, leading to a majority thinking him arrogant and full of himself. This lead to the glaring darkening and nasty whispers which they thought he couldn't hear.

He hated those glares the most. The ones that said he wasn't accepted because he cheated at getting his ability. None of them knew that while his father played him every day, the man only gave small barely noticeable tips to getting better. His ability was the product of hours on end of hard work, study and determination from when he first started to play.

Even though he was shunned and friendless Akira still played Go for a very simple fact.

Akira loved Go.

He loved solving death problems, he love the feeling of a stone between his finger tips but most of all he loved the challenge when playing someone new. Though someone new was starting to become scares, and the games he played against some customers at his father's Go salon weren't exactly challenging.

In all honesty most games he has been playing lately weren't challenging anymore. In fact the past week he has only been playing teaching games. The only time Akira even found himself trying was when he played against his father, Koyo Toya, and the pro students his father teaches. These games of course were played with a handicap placed on them because it wouldn't be an even game otherwise, and even though Akira hadn't beat any of them yet the handicap number have been reducing lately with many of his opponents admitting they were having a harder time beating him as well.

After each game, every student of his father would ask him why he hasn't gone Pro yet (Koyo never full out asked him but the young green hair child knew his father thought the same). When the question presented itself Akira always answered with " I will go Pro when I'm ready, but right now I need to polish my skills".

A lot of them believed his skills were good enough to at least launch his carrier but the young Toya felt like  _something was_  missing from his play.

He didn't know what that something was but he knew he couldn't go Pro until he found it. At least he had been telling himself that but the teaching games were starting to get boring. The salon was full of players true but Akira could beat them all and they knew it too. So why waste his time doing teaching games while he could be playing Pro games with his father students?

Simple. His father was at a Go convention. Meaning he was traveling.

The times when his father traveled for his job meant no study group and no one to challenge, with no friends what else could the young Toya do?

Akria placed all the stones back into the bowls with a sigh, a small part of him annoyed at the fact the boy hadn't even put away his stones before storming off. Once all the stones where placed neatly back into their respected bowls the green hair child lost himself in his thoughts once more.

He thought about what his father and his colleges said to him. Perhaps it was time to go pro? Perhaps that something he was missing could be found in much more challenging games against other also devoted their lives to the game? What did he have to lose? After all he was a great player for someone so young, and waiting for someone with his skill around his age before he launch a career for the rest of his life sounded foolish.

It was decided then. He was going Pro.

" _This summer I'll take the Pro exam."_ Akira thought with a satisfied smile , already getting excited for the games he would be playing against other Pros. His blood started to pump with glee as he imagined different game positions in his head with each game. Different play styles to change him against, different levels of skill and most of all different Go to experience.

"I will wait for someone to be free then" A voice broke though his thoughts' drawing the twelve year old's attention to the front of the store. There stood a man in his mid twenties with ridiculously long hair tied with a white ribbon at the bottom of his neck, dressed in casual jeans and white t-shirt the man looked out of place among the regular customers who were all above the age of fifty. He was speaking to a heavily blushing Ichikawa as he signed into the roster before frowning.

"Excuse me but what does it mean by level?" The man asked politely as he looked up from the paper. Ichikawa blushed harder but the man didn't seem to notice instead he wait patiently as the counter girl cleared her throat.

"I-it means the level your Go is a-at." The woman answered after a small pause. Even from across the salon Akira could feel her embarrassment at her own shuttering, the poor girl.

The man hmm softly in thought before tilting his head slightly as if he was listening to something or someone; He even let his eyes roam to the empty space to his right, considering it like one would when speaking to a person. Then he brought his eyes back to an embarrass Ichikawa and answered with a warm smile "I don't know my level but I know I'm pretty good."

That caused Akira to raise a brow, it even seemed to snap his sister figure out of whatever daze she fell into when the man flashed that dazzle smile, as she confusedly asked " You don't know your level?"

It was a reasonable question seeing how old the man seemed to be, though it might have come off a tad bit rude which the worker must have realize as she smile sheepishly as he face burned once more. The man however didn't seem to mind.

"Oh I just don't know how the level system works." The man answered with a smile. "Would it be alright if I leave it blank?"

Ichikawa nodded in a daze. She then pointed rather awkwardly to some empty tables. "I-I'll let you know when someone is looking for an opponent, um cause you know….everyone is already paired up playing…I said that already didn't I? ha ha ha." She ended her sentence in the all familiar nervous laugh that she tended to do whenever she was interested in a male.

Over the years of her employment, starting in her early teens, Akira could not remember a time where the brown hair female had been absent from his life, nor could he recall any time where she wouldn't be welcome into his house to have "girl-talk" with his mother who saw Ichikawa as a daughter. The brown hair woman herself seem to return the feeling, seeing as she was an orphan and spent many holidays with his family, at one point even lived with them. She still had a furnished room in his home even if she had moved out two years ago to go to college.

This meant he had watched the girl grew up like any other sibling would, and he had learn a few things from the many "pep-talks" (he and his father avoided them like the plague, they couldn't handle the tears) his mother gave her whenever her newest crush ended up in flames. The girl was a horrible flirt, more so then him and that was saying something coming from shunned twelve year old Go obsessed boy.

Akira couldn't bear to watch his sister figure crash and burn as bad as she was doing now (even if the man wasn't aware of it luckily,) who was trying to seem casual but coming off more like a malfunctioning robot, so before she could say anything else that might embarrass her, the green haired child left his chair making his way over to them to distract the man.

"Do you need a partner? I'm free if you'll like to play" he asked politely.

The man turned to him. His eyes sparkling in a child like wonder and a warm smile pulled at his mouth. Next to him the counter girl looked as if she swallowed her tongue, meaning Akira did good, coming to her rescue.

"I'd love to!" he answered excitedly like a child who's been asked if they would like a candy.

Akira couldn't help but smile back, feeling himself at ease with the man who almost had flowers and warmth coming surrounding him. The man radiated so much joy for a simple game that he felt the normal shyness he usually had for meeting strangers inside him disappear. Pointing behind him to the table he just left the boy made a monition to follow him saying "We can play over there then."

Just when they were about to move Ichikawa seemed to finally find her voice "W-wait! The fee! Um…it's 700 ryo for an adult and….."

Her voice died out as the man visibly deflated, his previous joy turning to gloom. The two people beside him blinked at the sudden change of behavior and both felt a peg at the hearts when the man turned back to Ichikawa. He looked like a kicked puppy and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes leaving the other two shocked still. "I see. I'm sorry; I'll have to leave."

Wait. What?

The man bowed in apology "I don't have enough for the entrance fee so I must be on my way. Forgive me for being such a bother." He said politely if chest fallen.

He was serious. The man even turns to leave.

"Wait! It's your fist time here right?" Akira asked hoping to make the man happy again, though why he wanted to do so was the mystery. Something about the man made it hard to deny him anything. At the man's nod he allowed a smile to bloom on his face, hopping to put the man at ease.

"Then you can come in for free, as my guest." The green haired boy said, noticing out of the corner of his eye how the brown hair woman grew hopeful most likely anticipating a second chance to making a better impression on the purple haired man in front of him.

Instead of taking him up on the offer like he thought he would, Akira was surprised when the man began to shack his head back and forth with gusto "No. I can't do that and abuse you kindness!"

Purple eyes shined with unshed tears as the man clasped his hands together in front of his chest "I wouldn't dream of getting in for free!"

This was accompanied with a small sniff and a slightly distressed voice as the man seemed to tremble by the mere thought of something so "rude" and "abusive" as entering a establishment without paying.

Akira bit the inside of his lip, because it was just  _painful_  to watch a grown man look to so adorable. He guessed Ichikawa felt the same as she let a small started gasp pass her lips, and he could understand why. It was almost like the twenty something year old, could somehow make a whiny voice sound so cute it wasn't anywhere near annoying, far from it in fact. It was like something in him  _needed_ to make the man smile again.

The man's lip trembled ever so slightly adding to his cute affect. How could anyone reuse this guy a Go game?!

Not only that but it was refreshing to meet someone else who seem to love the game as much as him. To cry just because he was denied a game showed how much devoted he was to the game if a little childish.

The man seemed to  _really_ want a game of Go but his morals were getting in the way, so perhaps there was some kind of compromise? Something he could say to make the man know he wasn't abusing his "kindness".

For a brief second Akira felt ashamed to admit it wasn't kindness that made him offer free access for the day to his family salon but rather for his secret love of math making that led him to it. Even though it wasn't exactly completely selfish of him- he just wanted to see his "older sister" happy with someone - but he felt like he was tricking the older man in front of him. Using him like a pawn. And it felt wrong.

Still it didn't the change the fact Ichikawa didn't want the man to leave, and as the saying goes, figurative-blood is thicker than water.

The man bowed again preparing to leave once more, snapping Akira out f his thoughts as he mind raced. The man's hair moved side to side in a musical motion as he turns for the door with lowered shoulders as time seemed to slow down.

Akira couldn't let him escape yet!

Giving a quick glance to the rapid panicking Ichikawa, Akira desperately searched for something that could keep the man in the salon for a bit longer or at least long enough to give the girl a chance to make a move. His eyes fell on the yet-to-be clean Go stones behind the counter, and an idea sparked in his mind as he turned back to the departing long hair.

He reached out to gasp the man's forearm efficiently stopping all his movement as purple confused, tear filled eyes meet his. Making sure his dark glee didn't show anywhere on his face as a romantic love story of two soul mates bonding over work played in his head, the young Toya pulled back his arm and allowed a polite smile to grow on his face.

"I can assure you it isn't hurting anyone but if you insist, would you rather work to play?" Akira asked as calming as possible even though his heart raced with anticipation. If this worked out, then he would one day be telling his little nephews and/or nieces how their parents meet. Yes Akira Toya was a true romantic.

The man blinked away any spare tears he had, interest edged into his face.

At the hesitant nod he gave, Akira waved his hand in the general direction of bowls of Go stones seen behind the counter . "Today is the day we clean all the stones of the salon, and we could use some help if you're interested."

The man's whole face let up with joy, eyes now sparkling as he clapped. "Really? Oh thank you! I will work hard to wash all the stones! I won't leave a single one left unclean!"

Akira chuckled, and then pointed once more at his table with a Goban and stones waiting patiently for a pair of players. "How about a game before you start helping out? You can play until its closing time then we can get to work."

The man turns his head once more to the empty space regarding it with a curious expression before smiling softly "I do believe it's been a long time since a good game. Let's have fun."

Akira smiled stretching his hand, silently telling the man to go first before falling in step with him; however the young Go genius did so after sending Ichikawa an encouraging smile. The woman sends back a sheepish but grateful smile seeing the olive branch for what it is. She even points the food menu, hinting he should order some tea or something so she would have a excuses to go near their table. He nodded in understanding as she grinned with a growing blush.

Once they reached the table, both players take seats across from each other.

The young boy pushed one of the bowls towards him "You can be black"

The man nodded happily and placed the bowl on his right.

"How much of a handicap would you like?" Akira asked knowing the man wasn't a professional meaning the green hair child would crush him if the handicap was not placed. Something he didn't want for it would mean a quick game and a possible early offer of cleaning service.

The man regarded the board for a moment before allowing his eyes to wander to his left, and then shook his head with certainty "Oh don't worry, I'm sure I won't need one."

Akira smiled almost embarrassed for him but nodded anyway wondering if the man turn out to be those prideful adults who were rude when beaten by a child. He truly hoped not otherwise that meant he wasted his time and effort trying to keep the man here. After all those men were never good enough for his sister, thus he would have to get rid of him, as politely as possible of course. Then deal with Ichikawa's melt down about never having a boyfriend before in her life. The fact she is twenty-four tended to add salt to the wound.

"My name is Akira Toya by the way." The boy said as the man picked up his stone. When the first black stone was place Akira realized the man in front of him was a complete beginner, meaning the game wouldn't be that challenging again. He knew before hand that it might have been possible but it didn't stop the disappointment from hitting him, though he hides it well. No need to offend his opponent.

He already decide on playing a teaching game, as he picks up his own stone, letting it fall onto the board with a soft  _pa-chi_.

The man smiles warmly at him "I am Sai Fujiwara, it's nice to meet you."

Akira would never know how much that name would haunt him in the following years as the game began.

 


End file.
